Hogan & Hartson, Lovells, Closing In On Merger

It’s been a while since we brought you news of a pending law-firm merger. So it pleases us to convey that the next one could be big. Really big.

According to sources familiar with the situation, Washington-based Hogan & Hartson is in advanced talks to merge with London based-Lovells, which would create one of the world’s largest law firms at more than 2,500 attorneys. Later Wednesday, Lovells’ management committee is expected to recommend that the rest of the British firm’s partnership vote in favor of a merger. If consummated, the deal would mark the highest profile merger between US and UK law firms.

One of the biggest challenges to a Hogan/Lovells deal, lawyers say, will be marrying the firm’s contrasting styles. Hogan is considered relatively hard charging, paying partners based on how much business they bring in. Lovells take a more genteel approach, compensating partners based largely on their seniority.

The merger won’t be final unless and until it’s approved by the partnership of each firm. But at the Lovell meeting later today, the management committee is slated to discuss the business rationale behind the merger and talk about what a merged firm would look like. It’s expected that, after the meeting, the committee will communicate with the rest of the partnership that it looks favorably upon a deal. At that point, the rest of the partnership will likely be asked to vote yay or nay on it.